Coastal plant thought extinct for 65 years discovered, put on endangered list
Source: CNN
A flowering California shrub thought to be extinct in the wild for almost seven decades was added to the federal endangered species list Wednesday after a sharp-eyed biologist spotted the plant on a highway median while driving off the Golden Gate Bridge.
The last known Franciscan manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana) was discovered in 2009 during a highway construction project, and after genetic tests confirmed the species, the state spent $109,000 on a crane to move the plant and its 12.5-ton root ball to another site so the $1 billion project could continue, federal and state officials said.
The low-growing coastal shrub was relocated to another area in the Presidio of San Francisco, a 1,491-acre national park next to the Golden Gate Bridge, federal officials said.
The evergreen is estimated to be more than 50 years old and was growing a few feet from traffic along the Doyle Drive roadway, also designated as U.S. Highway 101, which connects the bridge and San Francisco, officials said.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/05/us/california-endangered-plant/index.html
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